Educational Psychology (EDPY) 469

Principles of Psychological Assessment (Revision 1)

Revision 1 is closed for registration, see current revision

Delivery Mode: Individualized study online

Credits: 3

Area of Study: Applied Studies

Prerequisite: Minimum two junior level psychology or educational psychology courses.

Precluded Course: PSYC 469. (EDPY 469 is a cross-listed course—a course listed under two different disciplines—with PSYC 469. EDPY 469 may not be taken for credit by students who have obtained credit for PSYC 469.)

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

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EDPY 469 is not available for Challenge.

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Overview

Educational Psychology 469: Principles of Psychological Assessmentis a three-credit course that provides an introduction to educational and psychometric theory and practice. It examines issues around test construction, administration, and interpretation. This course introduces measurement techniques and a variety of testing tools and instruments that are used in education and psychology to assist with decision-making. It examines properties that these tools must have to offer good information, such as reliability and validity, and discusses factors that influence results such as motivation, emotional health, and types of background information. Students will also consider specific testing tools and devices for measuring aptitude, achievement, interest, etc. In addition, this course will discuss special topics around testing accommodations for the assessment of persons with disabilities, and ethical considerations in assessment. Finally, students get to choose two out of five units that address psychological assessment in practice, choosing from assessment of individuals with disabilities, assessment of young children, clinical neuropsychology, health psychology and health care, and career counselling.

Note: This course focuses on B level testing.

Outline

Part 1: Technical Issues

Unit 1: Fundamental Issues in Measurement
Unit 2: Measurement and Numbers
Unit 3: Giving Meaning to Scores
Unit 4: Qualities Desired in Any Measurement Procedure: Reliability
Unit 5: Qualities Desired in Any Measurement Procedure: Validity
Unit 6: Practical Issues Related to Testing

Part 2: Testing Applications

Unit 7: Assessment and Educational Decision Making
Unit 8: Ethics and Issues in Assessment
Unit 9: Principles of Test Development
Unit 10: Performance and Product Evaluation
Unit 11: Attitudes and Rating Scales
Unit 12: Aptitude Tests
Unit 13: Standardized Achievement Tests
Unit 14: Interests, Personality, and Adjustment
Unit 15: Testing Accommodations

Part 3: Practical Applications

Unit 16A: Assessment of Individuals with Disabilities
Unit 16B: Assessment of Young Children
Unit 16C: Clinical Neuropsychology
Unit 16D: Health Psychology and Health Care
Unit 16E: Career Counselling

Evaluation

To receive credit for PSYC 469, you must complete all of these evaluation assignments. You must receive a grade of 50 percent or better on the course project and a composite course grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of assignments is as follows:

Activity	Weighting
Three Unit Quizzes (10% each)	30%
Test Review	35%
Case Study Project	35%
Total	100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Thorndike, R. M., & Thorndike-Christ, T. (2010). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and education (8^th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson / Merrill Prentice Hall.

Other Materials

The course materials include a print Reading File. All other materials are available online.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

Opened in Revision 1, June 9, 2011